


home is just a point of view

by crazyness_overpowers



Category: Black Friday - Team StarKid, Nightmare Time - Team StarKid
Genre: Alternate Universe, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, F/M, I just want them to be happy, Love Confessions, Slice of Life, at nick and matt let them rest, look nightmare time ep 3 broke me so here i am, this is technically an AU bc they can apparently never be happy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-25
Updated: 2020-10-25
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:13:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27187769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crazyness_overpowers/pseuds/crazyness_overpowers
Summary: Becky Barnes always wakes up before the Houston boys and makes use of her time. Tim gets up before Tom, so the two of them have a chat.This is complete fluff based on a line in Nightmare Time episode 3, but there are no spoilers.
Relationships: Becky Barnes/Tom Houston
Comments: 6
Kudos: 15





	home is just a point of view

Becky almost always woke up early. It didn’t matter whether or not she was actually working in the morning, her body simply wouldn’t allow her to stay asleep for very long once the sun was in the sky.

Part of her knew that it was because of her marriage that she woke up early. Time in the morning was when she didn’t yet have to face Stan, when she could, albeit briefly, pretend that everything was okay.

Even with him long gone, lost in the woods (or to a knife in the leg), she still woke up early and found herself enjoying the quiet that comes before anyone else bothers to wake up.

She especially found comfort in it once she began dating Tom again. She found it nice to be able to sit and watch him sleep for a while. So much of Tom was lost to ghosts when he was awake. She was sure the same was true of her. The ghosts were part of their lives, part of what brought them together again. They weren’t a bad thing. But when he was asleep, he looked so peaceful and beautiful, ghosts absent and his mind at ease. It allowed her to forget hers for a while, too. It was always a great way for her to start her day.

Knowing that Tim would be up soon, despite the fact that it was Saturday and he didn’t have to get up for school, Becky got up and made her way into the kitchen, giving Tom one final look before she left the bedroom.

Once she was in the kitchen, she made quick work of finding everything she needed, humming softly to herself as she did so. In the few short months since Tom had introduced her to Tim and started allowing her into their house, she had grown quite familiar with the layout of their kitchen and where everything was kept.

After finding everything she needed, Becky began to make pancakes, working swiftly. It was still weird to her, cooking for other people, but the reward of having someone actually enjoy her food was enough for her to brush past the awkwardness every time. 

When she was about halfway done, storing the made pancakes in the oven at its lowest possible temperature, Tim shuffled into the kitchen.

She smiled at him lightly as he sat in a stool at the island in the kitchen.

“Good morning, Tim.”

“Good morning, Miss Becky. Breakfast smells great.”

“I’m glad you think so, bud. Give me one second and I’ll grab you a plate.”

“Don’t worry about it. I can wait until you’re done, because then we can eat together.”

Becky smiled wider then. She had been worried, of course, about staying at Tom’s and about meeting his son and everything that would mean. Tim had made it impossibly easy to be part of their lives, and she was constantly astonished by his kindness and demeanor despite everything that had happened to him so far in his short life.

She did her best to work quickly, not wanting Tim to have to wait too long to eat. In the moments between when she had to flip the pancakes, she tried to get everything else ready, grabbing plates and forks and cups and placing them on the island by Tim. Although both of them knew it would still be a bit before Tom woke up, she made sure to grab him a plate, too. Once Tim was slightly more awake, he went into the fridge and grabbed the orange juice for himself and the water pitcher for Becky, along with the syrup.

When Becky was finally done, they sat down at the counter, where Tim had pointedly placed her plate at the seat directly next to his. Smiling once more, Becky served them both a small stack of pancakes and got to work eating her breakfast. 

“These are really great as usual, Miss Becky,” Tim said after a single bite, swallowing quickly so he could continue to stuff food into his mouth.

“Thank you, Tim. The food isn’t going anywhere, though. You can take your time,” she chuckled softly at his habit, as she always did, and was struck once more by how much the young boy reminded her of Tom in high school, eating impossibly fast as though the food would disappear if he let it sit out for too long. “And, as I’ve told you before, you can just call me Becky, if you’d like.”

“Dad always says that adults should be addressed with Miss or Mr. because it’s a sign of respect,” Tim shrugged her off, as usual, but at least this time he was giving her a reason for the persistent title.

“Well, okay then. Your dad is usually right about these things. If it makes you happy, by all means continue. But, you should know that I don’t find it necessary for you to constantly show me respect like that,” She paused eating for a moment, wanting to make sure that he saw her face, that he knew she didn’t truly care either way, that she just wanted him to be as comfortable as possible with the whole situation.

Tim smiled at her and they both continued eating, enjoying the silence of the house as a whole. They sat there for a while before either of them spoke again, until Tim chose to break the silence.

“Mis- um, Becky,” with her nod, he continued, “Do you love my dad?”

That she hadn’t been expecting. She took a moment to swallow and put her fork down, taking the brief time to think before she started talking.

“Well, Tim, it’s hard to say. I loved him once. I know that. When we were in high school he was just.... Perfect. Easy to love. It was easy to be loved by him. But, part of that was me, too. I was more willing to fall in love then. Does that make sense?”

Tim nodded, abandoning his fork as well and turning in his seat to face her better.

“When we ran into each other and decided to start doing this again, I knew it would be harder. For both of us. We both have different definitions of love now than we did then. We’re different people. But when I look at him with you, and see how wonderful of a man he still is, despite everything that has happened to him, I can’t help but allow myself to let him in. So, yeah. I do. I haven’t told him yet, though, so don’t go sharing my secrets.”

“Breakfast chats are secret chats, Miss Becky. Don’t worry.” Tim was smiling at her again, seemed satisfied with her answer to his question, and picked up his fork once more, taking another pancake off the platter in front of him. “Just so you know, though, my dad wasn’t happy for a long time after my mom died. He’s been pretty happy since you started coming around, though.”

Becky couldn’t help but smile at that as she reached for her water glass, taking a sip.

In that moment, there was a slight creak at the bottom of the stairs, and Tom turned the corner into the kitchen.

“Good morning, Tim, Becky,” he said as he walked in, ruffling his son’s hair and giving his girlfriend a kiss on the cheek. “You didn’t have to make breakfast, Beck. I could’ve taken care of it.”

“Really? Cause you just got up, and we’re nearly done…” Becky smiled at him, always enjoying the ridiculousness of the conversation when they had it.

He grinned at her as well, taking his seat and grabbing his own stack of pancakes from the platter. “Thank you for making breakfast, it smells and looks wonderful.”

“You’re welcome,” she took her turn to kiss him on the cheek then, marveling slightly at how her life had turned into something so wonderful.

“So, Tim,” Tom began as he doused his pancakes with syrup. “I was thinking we could go to the batting cages this morning. It doesn’t have to be for long, but you said you wanted to play baseball this year and I think it would be fun to get some practice in to make sure you really want to play.”

Tim grinned, swallowing his last bite of pancake before beginning to speak. “That sounds great, Dad! I’m going to go get dressed.”

As Tim began to slide out of his seat, Tom’s voice stopped him. “Come on, kid. I know I just got up, but it doesn’t mean I am gonna ignore what you’re trying to do. Try again.”

Tim stopped, turned his leg back onto the chair fully, and said, “Right! Sorry. Dad, may I please be excused?”

Tom looked at Becky and his son before he responded, “I just got here, bud. I’m not the one you need to ask.”

“Oh. Yeah.” Tim turned to face Becky. “Becky, may I please be excused?”

Becky smiled at him, heart swelling at the politeness that had been instilled into this kid and the fact that the only reason he had neglected it originally was his excitement to spend the day with his dad. “Sure thing. Could you please put your plate in the sink on your way out?”

Tim nodded and dutifully grabbed his plate as he walked around the island, placing it in the sink with the bowl Becky had mixed the batter in. Just before he left the kitchen, he stopped and looked back at Becky. “Thanks again for making breakfast. You’re coming with us to the batting cages, right?”

Looking at Tom, who smiled and nodded slightly, Becky turned to face Tim. “Well, since you asked, I think I may be able to find some space in my schedule for the Houston boys.”

“Sweet!” was the last thing the two adults heard as Tim raced out of sight and up the stairs.

They sat in silence for a bit, Becky leaning into Tom’s side as he ate. After a few moments, Tom spoke up.

“I really appreciate you doing this for us, Becks. I mean, the food is wonderful, but nothing compares to your company.”

Becky laughed lightly, and Tom grinned as she did, still in slight disbelief that that sound was something he got to experience on the daily once more. “Well, Tim is great company, too. And you’re not too bad yourself.”

Tom kissed her then, light and chaste. There was no promise behind it, nothing too searing or intense that would throw their day off balance, especially with Tim upstairs. Instead, it was a comfort and an act of gratitude. A moment neither could have dreamed would be possible even a year ago.

After pulling away, Tom looked in her eyes fleetingly as he turned back to his food. “What did you two talk about while you were waiting for me?”

“Now, Tommy, I can’t tell you that,” Becky placed her hand on his thigh and squeezed, reveling in their closeness while also slightly chastising him for asking in the first place. “Tim and I have agreed that breakfast chats are secret.”

“Then perhaps you should have them in the soundproofed kitchen.”

“What do you mean?” Becky’s brow furrowed, unsure where Tom could possibly be going with this.

“I may have been on the stairs when I heard my son asking you a particularly interesting question, so I decided to stay hidden and hear you out.” Tom put down his fork and grabbed Becky’s hand, holding it close to his chest with their fingers intertwined.

“Oh?” Becky was intrigued, and looked at Tom in his eyes.

“So, I thought I should let you know that I love you, too, Becks. And I’m so fucking glad you’re back in my life.”

Becky grinned and kissed him again. He tasted like pancakes and syrup. She was sure she did, too. 

Mornings, she decided, were the best part of the day.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Perhaps one day Nick and Matt will let them be happy! 
> 
> You can find me on [tumblr](https://crazyness-overpowers.tumblr.com/).
> 
> Title is from [Early Morning Coffee Cups](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3cW8_pNmoE) by Jaimi Faulkner.


End file.
